


For There the Heart Can Rest

by leatherrumandthesea



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Summer Camp, Angst, F/M, and Emma doesn't want to like him but she does, basically Killian is super cute with kids a lot, but also fluff
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-08-12
Updated: 2017-08-13
Packaged: 2018-12-14 09:40:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 14,183
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11780466
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/leatherrumandthesea/pseuds/leatherrumandthesea
Summary: Emma Swan has spent the last fourteen summers at Camp Misthaven, a camp for kids in the foster system. It’s her home. When Killian Jones is hired as the new staffer for the summer, he seems determined to break down her walls, if only she’ll let him.





	1. Staff Arrival

Summer was the best part of the year according to Emma Swan. She had always loved the blistering heat, because it made the cool air of entering a building more enjoyable. She loved spending time in the water and walking through the woods, surrounded by the green of the trees. She loved the way that sometimes it was so hot she felt like she could smell the heat rather than just feeling it. Summer always held a sense of freedom and adventure to her, and summer storms a thrill of excitement. It had an air about it that felt like anything was possible. But the best part of her summer was Camp Misthaven.

The camp, created solely for kids in the foster system, was situated in the Ozarks of southern Missouri, near the tiny town of Storybrooke. Emma had been going to camp every summer since she was twelve years old and a camper. Fourteen years later, and she was one of the head staffers. She loved camp for the fun activities at first, but eventually it had become her home. Having spent her childhood in the system, she knew how important it was to have a place where you belonged, and Misthaven had been that place for her. Now she made it that place for hundreds of kids for the summer.

The campers would be arriving in just one week and Emma could feel her blood singing in excitement. One week to get everything ready may not seem like a lot, but most of the staff had been to camp before and knew what they were doing. It should be smooth sailing.

If only she could get Mary Margaret to believe it. The brunette was flitting around the camp office like a bird, trying to get everything in order for staff arrival in just a couple of hours. Emma just sat watching her, her sandaled feet propped up on the desk and a mug of hot chocolate in her hands. _People drink coffee year round, why not hot chocolate? _Emma always said. Her long blonde hair was swept up into a ponytail to keep it off her neck.__

____

____

“Mary Margaret, can you please try to be a little calm? You’ve been here for six years, surely you know what you’re doing,” Emma sighed. Mary Margaret was engaged to Emma’s adoptive brother, David, but she was basically family already. Emma had been a little wary of her when they had first met, but eventually her kind eyes and soft smile had worn down Emma’s tough exterior and they had become close friends.

Mary Margaret sent her an exasperated look. “Emma, just because I’ve done this before doesn’t mean something can’t happen to throw a wrench in the plans. What if someone breaks an arm, do we have everyone’s paperwork and insurance forms? What if something is wrong at any of the campsites? Do we have everyone’s allergies noted? What if something changes this summer?”

“I think you’re over reacting. You yourself have gone over all the paperwork, I’m sure it’s perfect. Robin has been out all week checking up on the campsites, they’re fine. Look, in a couple hours, the staff for the summer will show up, we’ll have dinner, go to sleep, and tomorrow we start getting camp ready. Just like we’ve done the last six years,” Emma spoke calmly. She loved her friend to death, but sometimes her excessive need to make everything perfect got a little out of hand.

Mary Margaret stopped and ran her hands through her short dark hair. “I know, I just can’t help it. You know it’s in my nature, especially with a new staffer.”

Emma opened her mouth to soothe her friend’s worries when footsteps on the porch outside stopped her. “Is she freaking out again?” Emma’s brother, David, directed the question at her, while smiling fondly at his fiancée and crossing the room to give her a peck on the cheek.

Emma nodded. “But of course. She wouldn’t be our Mary Margaret if she wasn’t.”

“Well allow me to ease your worries just a little,” he said, turning her towards him and running his hands soothingly down her crossed arms. “Regina wouldn’t have hired this new guy if he wasn’t absolutely right for the job. Plus, he survived an interview with that woman, so he’s got to have what it takes,” David assured her.

Mary Margaret nodded, letting out a long breath. Emma shot her friend a smug grin, which only caused her to roll her eyes and catch sight of the clock. “Emma! Tell me you unlocked the gate so they could get in.”

“It’s _fine._ We’ve planned for everything,” she said, taking the keys to the golf cart off the hook by the door on her way out to supervise staff arrival.

\-------------------------------------------------------------

_Maybe not everything_ was Emma’s first thought when she caught sight of the new guy. He wasn’t hard to pick out considering she knew everyone else. He was attractive, she had to admit. He had dark hair that looked like he frequently would run his hands through it, and stubble to match ran along the sharp line of his jaw. And God his eyes. No one’s eyes should be allowed to be that blue. He was wearing a navy shirt and grey cargo shorts, and Emma noticed he wore Chacos-someone must have informed him of the typical camp footwear.

“Who’s the new guy?” Emma jumped when an arm came to rest on her shoulder, knowing she had been caught staring. Her face broke into a grin when her eyes landed on Ruby, one of her oldest and closest camp friends. Her grandmother had been the cook at camp for as long as Emma had been going, meaning Ruby was around every summer.

“Well hello to you too,” Emma jokingly scolded, grabbing her friend for a hug. “He’s the new cabin staff, I assume. I’ve actually never met him,” she answered after she pulled away.

“He’s cute” Ruby grinned, eyeing him with appreciation, which only caused Emma to snort.

“Don’t let Mulan hear you say that,” Emma joked, nudging her friend with her shoulder, to which Ruby only rolled her eyes.

“Hey, I may be in a relationship but I do have eyes. And besides, I was actually looking for a friend,” Ruby hinted strongly, shooting a smug grin in Emma’s direction.

She immediately tensed. No, it wouldn’t do to have Ruby thinking like that. Better end it now, before anything could come of it. “Ruby, you know very well that I don’t get involved with other staffers…” _Not since him_ was implied.

“You mean you don’t get involved with anyone” said Ruby quietly, raising an eyebrow. Emma turned toward her with a retort, only to be interrupted by someone clearing their throat.

“Excuse me, I was told to look for Emma Swan?” the girls turned towards the new arrival, and Emma found herself face to face with the man himself. His eyes were even bluer up close, and seriously with the accent?

“That would be me. And you are…?”

“Killian Jones. Pleasure to meet you,” he shook her hand, letting it linger just a second longer than necessary. She pretended she didn’t feel the electricity that raced up her arm at his touch or the look he gave her that said he felt it too, and pulled her hand back to her side. “I’m the new cabin staff, but I’d wager you already knew that,” he smirked.

“Yeah, I figured it out,” Emma said bluntly, silently thanking the universe she had talked to him early and figured out he was so cocky and sure of himself. She’d learned her lesson about falling for cheeky smirks and didn’t particularly feel like repeating any of it. No thank you. He recoiled slightly at her harsh tone, but he recovered quickly. She pretended that the momentary flash of uncertainty in his eyes hadn’t bothered her at all.

“Well, you’re going to be with Will for the summer,” she said, motioning to the returning staffer unloading his car. “Dinner is at 6, and then everyone just sort of hangs out until lights out. Will can show you where to go,” she said, trying to give off an air of authority-trying to make herself unapproachable.

He recognized her obvious dismissal and moved to leave but turned back towards her at the last second. “Thank you, milady,” he winked, tossing in another smirk for good measure. Emma rolled her eyes, but he was already turned to walk towards Will and didn’t seem to notice.

Ruby, meanwhile, watched the whole exchange with a gleeful expression. When Emma turned towards her, a warning look in her eyes, the brunette merely shrugged before tossing her hair over her shoulder and walking to finish unloading her car.

Emma remained to supervise the remainder of the staff arrival, quietly growing more and more frustrated at her conversation with the new guy. Eventually, after everyone had unloaded their luggage and begun moving towards their cabins, she got back on the golf cart to return to the office.

Of course Mary Margaret was waiting to ambush her as soon as she walked in the door, firing off rapid-fire questions at her. “Emma! Did you meet the new staffer? What’s he like?”

Her frustration reached its peak at the questioning, and she started pacing the length of the office. “He’s ridiculous! He’s arrogant and obnoxious and so obviously full of himself it’s a wonder he could get his shirt on over his inflated head!”

Mary Margaret looked shocked. “Emma, I’m sure he wasn’t that bad. You heard David earlier, Regina wouldn’t have hired him if he wasn’t right for the job,” she said.

Emma stopped her pacing to turn and face her. “You didn’t see him, Mary Margaret. He had this smirk and he winked at me as if that would make me fall down in front of him like every other girl ever,” she said, and leaned against the edge of Mary Margaret’s desk.

Mary Margaret grinned up at her in understanding. “So he tried to flirt with you and that’s why you don’t like him, is that it?”

“No,” Emma said, unable to keep herself from sounding too defensive. “God, not you too. I already heard it all from Ruby just now, I do not need another lecture about my love life.”

Mary Margaret sighed and leaned forward to rest her arms on her desk. “Emma, I know you’re cautious about opening up to people, and I know you’re scared to try again after what happened with Neal-” Emma looked down at her with a silent warning. “Look, all I’m saying is that wall of yours may keep out pain, but it also might keep out love.”

Emma stared at her, mouth agape for a few moments. Eventually she shook herself and said “Trust me, I am not going to fall in love with Killian Jones.”

“I didn’t say you had to. I just meant you should be open to the idea of letting someone in,” she assured, to which Emma didn’t have a response.

Instead she shoved herself away from the desk and settled in her own chair. “I don’t need a relationship in order for me to be happy, Mary Margaret. And I need to focus on the campers, not a guy,” she insisted, opening her email to sort through some last minute emails before dinner, anything to stop herself from thinking about Killian Jones and his stupid smile and blue eyes.

Killian couldn’t stop scolding himself the whole time he was walking away from Emma Swan. Two seconds into meeting her, and he had already put his foot in his mouth. She had fire, and he liked it. Not to mention the fact that she was bloody gorgeous with her green eyes that were so guarded and made him want to know every secret they held.

He approached who he assumed was the Will that Emma had indicated he would be working with, who was in the middle of unloading his luggage from a black Jeep.

“Excuse me, are you Will?” Killian asked, holding out his hand. “Killian Jones, I was told to come find you.”

“That would be me. Will Scarlet,” the other man said and Killian noted his accent, and the two shook hands. “Although, Emma Swan is usually the one to meet new counselors and show them the ropes. She’s just over there, actually,” he said, nodding towards the blonde who was studiously not looking in their direction.

“Yeah, about that…” Killian trailed off, tearing his eyes away from her and nervously scratching behind his ear.

“You tried to hit on her, didn’t you,” Will smirked at Killian’s sheepish nod. “How’d that go over for you?”

“Well, considering she not only shut me down but apparently pawned me off on to you, I’d say not too well,” Killian said.

“Ah, it’s not you, mate. She’s real closed off, plus she doesn’t date other counselors. I wouldn’t take it personal,” Will said, lugging the last of his bags from his car. That only sparked Killian’s interests even more. Surely the reason for her walls was related to her rule of not dating people she worked with.

“I can show you to the cabin if you’re all ready to go,” Will offered, nodding in the direction of what Killian assumed was the boy side of camp. Killian hurried over to his truck to pick up his bags before following Will up the hill.

The air conditioning was already on when Killian and Will arrived at the cabin, and it was a welcome relief after the sweltering heat of the mid-afternoon sun. When Will had said ‘cabin’, Killian had thought of something a bit more rustic with rough wood and cramped space that smelled like the dirt, but that was the exact opposite of what he found. The front door was in the middle of the cabin, and the entire left half was taken by the multiple bathrooms while the right had about ten bunk beds for when the campers arrived. Killian and Will had their own twin size beds, one right by the main door, and one next to the door that led to the back porch that looked out over the hill and towards the rest of the camp.

“You can take the bed by the back door. I’ve always liked this side better,” Will offered, and Killian nodded his thanks. They spent the next couple hours packing clothes into the drawers under their beds and into the staff closet in the back of the cabin. They talked about growing up in England and how it was different than the States, and Killian learned that Will was dating Belle, another cabin counselor.

The two started towards the dining hall about fifteen minutes before dinner was supposed to start. When they arrived, everyone was hugging and catching up on the last year. One woman broke off from the group to take Will’s hand and introduce herself, although Killian already guessed this was Belle.

Will noticed his unease and smiled at him knowingly. “I remember being the new guy. Trust me, everyone will-”

He didn’t get to finish his sentence because the brunette that had been standing next to Emma earlier hurried towards him, dragging an Asian woman with her.

“Hi Killian, we sort of met earlier. I’m Ruby, and this is Mulan.” the brunette, Ruby, said in a rush. After a sidelong look at Will, Killian fell into easy conversation with the two of them. Every so often, someone new would introduce themselves, and the whole affair was a whirlwind of new names and faces. The door opened again, and a tall blonde man walked in holding the hand of a woman with short brown hair, but Killian’s attention was quickly drawn to Emma Swan, who trailed behind them. He was so fixated on her he didn’t notice Ruby nudge Mulan and the conspiratorial grin shared between the two before Ruby leaned over to whisper in Belle’s ear.

Killian’s attention was pulled from Emma when the two people that came in with her approached him.

“You’re Killian, right? I’m David, and this is Mary Margaret, my fiancée,” the blonde man said, indicating the brunette woman next to him, “and you’ve already met Emma,” he continued, but Emma herself seemed very interested in looking anywhere that wasn’t at him, her mouth set in a firm line as she brushed past him to greet a woman he remembered to be named Elsa.

David started asking Killian about his life back in England while they moved towards the table and Killian moved to take a seat next to David while Mary Margaret moved sit opposite the table from her fiancé. It was then that Ruby, Mulan, Will, and Belle began moving around so that the only seat that remained for Emma was the one directly across from him. Emma noticed to, and if looks could kill, Ruby would have been six feet under.

Eventually, Emma sat down and Killian tried not to focus on the disappointment he felt because she was so determined to avoid him. Serving plates of food started being passed around but it wasn’t a full minute before Killian heard an exclamation from the other side of the table.

“Elsa, I am your sister and you know I’m starving, how could you?” a girl Killian remembered as Anna was glaring at the woman across from her with her hand outstretched in front of her.

“Consider us even for that time you put all my stuff at the top of the rock wall, I still cannot for the life of me figure out how you did it,” Elsa fired back, completely unfazed.

Killian’s brow furrowed in confusion and looked around for an explanation from the rest of the staff, most of whom were laughing and joking about Elsa drawing first blood. Eventually Ruby noticed his confusion.

“We call it the winking game. If you make eye contact with someone and they wink at you, then you’re frozen until someone touches you. One time Will here messed up so Belle froze him and wouldn’t let anybody free him for twenty minutes,” she grinned.

“Funny, he’s been much more careful around my books ever since,” Belle said nonchalantly and grinned at Killian.

Anna’s boyfriend Kristoff took pity on her and unfroze her, and the table descended back into separate conversations.

“So Killian, I’m curious, how did you come to hear about Camp Misthaven?” Mary Margaret asked him. She seemed to be a very kind and welcoming person, and Killian felt at ease around her instantly.

“I’m a friend of Wendy Darling’s. We worked together in Boston for a while. She told me about the opening and that I should apply. She can’t stop talking about this place; says it’s the most magical place on Earth,” he explained.

Mary Margaret perked up at his explanation. “Oh, how is Wendy? She was so sweet, we miss seeing her.”

“She’s doing fantastic. She got her degree and is working on opening a shelter for domestic abuse victims in the area. She found out there are more people seeking assistance than the shelters are capable of providing and she wanted to help. She credits her time here for her desire to help those in need,” he explained.

“Yeah, this place has a tendency to change lives,” David grinned. “Do you miss being back east? Probably a lot more to do there than in the Midwest, right?”

Killian shrugged. He didn’t really feel like explaining his reasoning for leaving Boston, but he knew he should give a more satisfactory answer. “There wasn’t really anything that was keeping me there. If I were to miss anything it would be sailing, though. I’ve always liked being near the sea.”

“Missouri doesn’t really seem like the best option then,” Emma spoke up, as if she hadn’t been ignoring him since she walked in the door.

He looked at her, shocked that she had acknowledged she had been listening to the conversation. He cleared his throat before answering her, choosing to maintain giving as few details as possible. “Like I said, there wasn’t much there for me. A fresh start somewhere I’m able to help people seemed like a good change. Plus,” he leaned towards her, a slow smile growing on his face, “I think there’s plenty of beauty here to put Boston to shame.” He threw in a wink for good measure.

Emma inhaled sharply and Ruby started laughing from her seat next to her. “Killian, you got her. No one is ever able to freeze Emma, I’m impressed.”

Killian grinned as the rest of the staff turned to see that Emma was indeed frozen with half an onion ring in her hand. She was looking at him intensely, but it wasn’t quite the icy glare she had fixed on Ruby earlier in the meal. It was more like she was trying to get a read on him, trying to see below the scarred surface and see what exactly made him up. It threw him off and he covered for his uneasiness by stealing an onion ring off her plate and taking a bite out of it. Her gaze immediately darkened, but he smiled at her the whole time before reaching across the table and tapping her hand.

“I hope you know I’m going to get you back for that one, Jones,” she threatened lightly, but he wasn’t particularly worried.

“And I look forward to it, Swan” he straightened, barely noticing the people around them because he was more fixated on the way her cheeks flushed at the use of her surname.


	2. Camper Arrival

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This chapter has very little in the way of plot but there’s some banter between Emma and Killian also Henry shows up and there’s some Captain Cobra and Swan Believer so I think it makes up for it.

Emma did her best to avoid Killian Jones during the next week. It was made all the more difficult by the fact that David had taken a liking to him and both Ruby and Mary Margaret seemed intent on getting her to be around him. True, he could be charming when he wanted to, and he did focus on all the work that needed done, but he had the irritating habit of smiling at her at meal times and trying to catch her eye so he could wink at her again. She’d learned her lesson the first time though, and she made sure to sit away from him whenever possible.

Her strategy almost worked for the whole week. At lunch the day of camper arrival, she was seated across from him once again. They were both slightly late, so she wouldn’t have found it entirely suspicious if Ruby hadn’t been grinning smugly at her from the opposite end of the table.

She focused on her conversation with Anna, which was more like listening to Anna talk and nodding along at appropriate intervals. She was in the middle of listening to Anna’s story about the kayaking trip she had recently taken with Kristoff when Killian spoke up.

“Can you pass the water pitcher down here, love?” It was a simple question really, but the way his fingers lingered next to hers when she handed him the pitcher made it anything but.

Naturally her first response was to brush it off and move on to a safer topic. “You smell like sweat and creek water, what have you been doing all day?”

He chuckled at her remark, looking down at his dirt covered shirt. “Well, Swan, I was helping Robin trim back the trees down by the canoes and decided to cool off a little. It’s surprisingly hot down by the water and those errant branches did not want to go quietly. I only had enough time to change clothes before coming here.”

“You realize there are cottonmouths in that creek, right? What if you had been bitten?” she scolded.

He raised an eyebrow at her, a gesture that she was becoming all too familiar with. “You wouldn’t happen to be showing concern for my well-being there, would you?”

She rolled her eyes. “Please. I just don’t want to fill out any more paperwork than I have to.”

“Whatever you say, love,” he grinned. Just then Victor, another cabin staffer, sat down next to him with his plate piled high with a salad topped with a hefty amount of ranch dressing. Killian’s nose wrinkled. “Really, mate, why would you ruin a perfectly good salad by putting _that_ on it?”

Victor laughed at his remark. “We’ve had this discussion before, you need to put some kind of dressing on it to make it edible,” he gestured at his plate.

“Yes, but you could put anything else on it. French, Italian, Thousand Island, and you chose _ranch_.” Emma was trying hard to stifle her laughter. The success of her endeavor was debatable considering the half-hearted glare Killian sent her way.

“Because it’s just so American, which means it’s the best. Why do you hate it so much anyway?” Victor asked, before digging into his food.

Killian groaned, turning away from the offending salad. “Once when I was twelve I was sick and asleep on the couch and my little cousin thought it would be a fun idea to pour ranch dressing all over the coffee table and play in it. Imagine being nauseous enough as it is and waking up with that smell assaulting you.”

Victor laughed and Emma felt the niggling of a plan start to form in the back of her mind. She still had not avenged her stolen onion ring from dinner the first night, and he seemed to have forgotten her promise to get him back. Silently, she put the end of her fork on the tip of her nose and nudged Victor’s foot with hers under the table. He looked up, met her eyes and silently copied her.

Soon the other people at the table noticed, and everyone had their forks to their nose except for Killian. He didn’t notice anything out of the ordinary until Will loudly exclaimed that “Killian won!” If it weren’t for the fact that Emma was deliberately trying to ignore him at all costs, she would say the confused look on his face was kind of adorable.

“It’s another game, kind of like nose-goes. The last one to copy the action has to scrape everyone’s plates at the end of the meal,” she said smugly.

He cocked his head to the side, which definitely didn’t help with the confused puppy look he had going on. “I fail to see how that’s winning the game,” he said.

“I’d like to see you try to convince a kid to scrape everyone’s plate if you tell them they lost,” she grinned, before standing up to go to the salad bar, making sure to put an obscene amount of ranch dressing on her plate.

When she returned to her seat, Killian took one look at her plate and gave her a look that practically screamed “why?” All she did was smile at him. “You do remember that I supposedly won your scraper game and now I’m going to have to clean that, right Swan? And here I thought we were getting along.”

“I was biding my time until I could get payback. My onion ring is avenged now, so consider us even.”

He sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. “And you said that I smelled bad. Are you even going to eat any of that?”

She looked down at the salad, which wasn’t exactly salad, more like some lettuce and cheese swimming in dressing. “Nah. I prefer Italian.” He let out a groan, and she pushed her plate towards him. “You should get a move on, Jones. There’s still lots to do before the welcoming party tonight.”

Killian grumbled, and Emma felt very pleased with herself.

*****

Less than four hours later the first of their campers arrived. It was a flurry of excitement with kids running every which way and exclaiming that they had to find their best friend _right now_ until eventually everyone got sorted into the proper cabin. Emma helped Ruby and Belle corral their group of fifteen 10-12 year old girls before ducking out and going in search of a very specific camper.

Henry was ten this year, and he had been coming to camp ever since he was seven years old. He was the polar opposite of what Emma had been like at his age. He was happy, expressed himself freely, and held a sense of wonder about the world. He was convinced that there was a happy ending out there for everyone and when Emma talked to him she could almost believe it herself.

There was also the fact that he was in Killian’s cabin this summer and she hadn’t had the opportunity to talk to him about Henry. As a staffer she wasn’t supposed to pick favorites, but she wasn’t fooling anybody; they all knew it was Henry. He was quite possibly her favorite person in the world.

She hadn’t even made it to the door of the cabin before she was practically tackled. “Emma! I was wondering when you were going to get here!” Henry exclaimed, his small arms squeezing her waist.

“Hey, kid! You know I never miss a chance to see you. How’s school going?” she asked, hugging him back just as tightly.

“Good, I guess. I was telling my friends about everything that I was going to get to do here and they were all saying that it sounded like a lot of fun. Is the pool going to be open tomorrow? The lady at the group home said it might rain so I shouldn’t get my hopes up but I can’t help that swimming is the best part of camp!” Henry continued babbling, asking if they still had all his favorite activities and what they were having for dinner (no one could ever say that the kid didn’t have his priorities straight).

Emma caught movement out of the corner of her eye and looked up to see Killian approaching them, smiling fondly at Henry. It seemed the newest staffer had already fallen under the spell of Henry’s dimples and big brown eyes.

“Doing alright there, lad?” Killian called.

Henry smiled back at him. “Yeah, I’m just talking to Emma. She’s the best.”

Killian chuckled and ruffled Henry’s hair. “Aye, I’d say you’re quite right about that,” he gave Emma a soft smile as she stood, slightly disarmed by his compliment. She was pretty good at telling when someone was lying, and his voice carried nothing but the truth.

“Emma, Killian said he would go down the water slide with me,” Henry said, pulling Emma’s attention away from the man in question.

“Did he, now? And here I thought that was my job,” she joked, pretending she was offended.

Henry rolled his eyes. “After you of course. I wouldn’t break our tradition.”

It was true. Henry had been terrified of the water slide his first summer until Emma had convinced him to go if she went with him. Ever since it had become their thing that the first time the pool was open each summer, he and Emma would go down it together.

“Henry, can I have a word with Killian real quick? I’ll find you at the party later, okay?” she smiled, to which Henry quickly hugged her again and ran back into the cabin to catch up with his friends.

“Everything alright, love?” Killian asked. Emma was starting to wonder if she was truly so easy to read, or if it was just him.

She faced him, instantly losing the lighthearted tone she had with Henry. “You’d better watch out for him, Jones. Henry’s a good kid and I care about him a lot. I’m putting a lot of faith in you to not let him down.”

“I don’t intend to let him down, love. Or you, for that matter,” he assured her. Once again she saw in his eyes that he was being completely genuine.

“Good, because I’d hate to have to break your nose if you did,” she threatened.

He took the opportunity to take half a step closer to her. “Is that your way of saying you don’t want to mess up my face? Or is it because of that paperwork you’d have to fill out again?” he asked lightly, a teasing smirk on his face that held just the smallest hint of sincerity.

“Definitely the paperwork,” she deadpanned, turning away to go finish preparing for the party. “Although with how thick your skull is I might break a few fingers in the process,” she added over her shoulder. All he did was laugh.

*****

Opening night was always one of Emma’s favorites.

Her first year, it had been a bit of a shock to her. Everyone was so friendly and welcoming and she wasn’t used to it. Ruby had spotted her standing slightly separated from the rest of her cabin group and dragged her into the middle of all the activities, asking her questions about her favorite movies or subject in school or what she did in her free time. They had stayed awake late into that first night talking, and it was the first time Emma had ever felt like she had a real friend.

In the following years, opening night was for seeing friends from previous summers and meeting new ones. It was for leaving behind all the weight of the last year and letting herself feel safe and, dare she say it, loved. No one went to bed on time the first night, mostly because of the change in routine (with the added bonus of a healthy dose of sugar from the party) along with the sheer excitement of being in a place where everyone was welcomed, regardless of their background.

The huge field in the middle of camp had been set up with different game stations for the campers to rotate through. Emma was walking around, stopping every so often to greet a familiar camper or to introduce herself to a new face. A few of the new campers were shy at first, but Emma had always been able to make them feel comfortable. She had her suspicions that it was because they could sense that she was one of them, as if all orphans had some sixth sense that drew them to one another.

She had only just parted ways with Ava Zimmer when she spotted Henry sitting at the top of the hill near the dining hall without a single person from his cabin in sight. She instantly felt a surge of anger rise in her chest because it hadn’t even been three hours and Jones had already lost a camper. And not just any camper, but Henry. She tamped down on her anger, not wanting Henry to think she was mad at him, before climbing the hill.

“Henry? What are you doing, where’s the rest of your cabin?” she asked, sitting next to him. She spotted a bit of crumbs around his mouth and the way his eyes were shifting. It all added up to him looking very guilty about something.

“I uh, might have gotten separated from them,” he said pulling his knees up to his chest.

She nodded, knowing he was probably a little more of an active role in the separation than he was letting on. “Uh-huh. And the sugar on your cheek, what’s that about?” she asked, unable to stop herself from smiling, brushing the spot with her thumb.

“Granny made snickerdoodles,” he said softly, as if it was the only explanation required.

“And how many did you eat?” she prompted gently, silently hoping it was a lot only because then Jones would have to deal with Henry on a sugar high and that would teach him not to misplace campers.

Henry counted on his fingers before looking up at her. “Six, I think? Definitely not more than eight,” he added, as if that would reassure her at all. Her eyebrows shot up and she was just about to laugh when a voice rang out from the bottom of the hill.

“Henry! There you are, lad, I’ve been looking all over for you,” Jones called, and Henry immediately sprung up and ran to his counselor. Emma on the other hand stood up slowly, brushing her hands on her shorts and crossing her arms over her chest. From the way he nervously scratched behind his ear, Jones knew he was in trouble. “Henry, the rest of the cabin is by the obstacle course. Why don’t you run along, and I’ll be there shortly,” he said, his eyes drifting towards Emma.

Henry hesitated momentarily, glancing between the two adults, before muttering a quick apology for wandering off from the cabin and sprinting across the field. Yep, definite sugar high in the making. He wasn’t gone two seconds before Emma rounded on Killian.

“What the hell, Jones? I told you specifically to watch out for Henry and not even three hours later he’s wandering off on your watch!” He opened his mouth to answer, but she cut him off. “No, you’re going to listen for a second. I meant what I said, Jones, about Henry meaning a lot to me. I’d really like to be able to trust you to watch out for him. You’re not off to a good start,” she finished. He raised an eyebrow, silently asking permission to speak, and she nodded to indicate she was finished.

“I’m sorry, love, truly I am. I turned away for a second and when I looked back he had vanished. I’ve been looking for him for the last half hour and I’m just glad he’s safe. I’ll make sure it doesn’t happen again,” he said, shoving his hands in his pockets and doing his best to look appropriately apologetic.

“Good,” she said sharply, pursing her lips. Killian nodded, obviously knowing he was being dismissed, and walked down the hill to rejoin his cabin.

Emma watched him go, thinking over everything he had said. He’d taken responsibility for losing Henry, which was something she was unfamiliar with. She was used to people making excuses and shifting blame to someone else, not owning up to their mistakes. Not that she would ever admit it to him, but she was impressed.

She also would never admit that she found him incredibly attractive either. No use letting that go to his head, especially since he already flirted with her every chance he got.

She hovered around his cabin for most of the time left of the party, all the while telling herself that it was just so she could be sure that Killian didn’t lose anyone else. He was particularly diligent that no one else wandered off and she caught him making head counts almost constantly. He even kept on his toes for the duration of Henry’s sugar rush, which was a feat in and of itself and she reluctantly admitted to herself that he had managed to impress her yet again.

At one point she had to go to the top of the hill she had found Henry on to announce that bedtime was fast approaching and that it was time for everyone to return to their cabins. The announcement was met with only minimal complaints from the campers and much enthusiasm from the staff.

She was walking with Ruby, Belle, and the rest of their cabin, when Ruby gave her a sharp jab to the ribs and gave a sharp nod to their left. Henry had finally reached the end of his sugar high from all the cookies he had eaten (seven, Emma had learned) and was fast asleep on Killian’s shoulder as the staffer carried him piggy back towards their cabin. Emma glanced back at Ruby, who was giving her an expectant look, and offered a small smile, hoping it would be enough of an answer for the time being.

*****

After camper lights out, the staffers in each cabin always went onto the back deck to unwind and talk about the day’s events. Of course, this was when Ruby took her chance to pounce on Emma.

“Okay you cannot tell me your heart didn’t melt a little at Killian carrying Henry after the party,” she insisted, staring earnestly at Emma.

“Yeah, but that was only after he lost him for half an hour, and in that time span the kid ate seven cookies before I found him,” she countered, leaning back and resting her back against the wall of the cabin.

Ruby groaned. “Why are you so stubborn? Yeah, Henry ran off but I saw Killian when he was looking for him and he looked pretty frantic. I think you’re being too harsh on him. Plus come on he _carried him to bed_ how does that not earn him a few points?”

“Belle said she’d stay inside with the kids. Are you talking about Killian and Henry?” Mary Margaret asked quietly, shutting the door to the cabin behind her. “Because I saw that and it was so sweet. I’m really glad he’s here this summer,” she said. Ruby gestured towards Mary Margaret while raising her eyebrows at Emma.

“Okay, okay maybe it was pretty cute,” Emma placated. “But why are you so insistent about this?” she asked.

Ruby rolled her eyes and Mary Margaret laughed. “Emma, honey, I know you are not nearly as oblivious to that man as you pretend to be,” she insisted.

Emma didn’t have an answer to that. Thankfully Mary Margaret changed the subject, telling them how David had given himself a stomach ache from eating so much cake and proclaimed it the worst mistake of his life.

Later, as she lay on her bunk looking at the ceiling, Emma thought over everything Ruby and Mary Margaret had said. So what if she payed more attention to Killian than anyone else? He was a new staffer and had yet to earn her trust so naturally she would watch him more closely. Then again, that didn’t explain the way she always knew when he was watching her or the way her heart would sometimes speed up when he smiled at her.

She rolled over and punched her pillow a few times, deciding that if she didn’t get a handle on herself, Killian Jones could end up being very dangerous to her.


	3. Prank Wars and Paint Spills

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This marks the end of the three chapters I've already published on other platforms so not we're getting into stuff I still need to write. I've given up posting chapters on any kind of schedule but I promise no matter how long it takes, this won't be abandoned.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In every chapter I work in one of my own camp experiences. See if you can pick out where they are.

Killian quickly learned that being a counselor to a group of rambunctious boys was a lot more exhausting than he originally believed it to be. Getting the boys to bed had been an adventure, let alone corralling them all day during activities. Even after lights out when he was sitting on the porch with Will, David, and Robin, they had been able to hear stifled laughter and catch the occasional flicker of a flashlight through the windows.

His first full day that had been brutal. The boys had worn him ragged and he was infinitely grateful that he and Will worked so well together. He finally understood the meaning of the phrase ‘herding cats.’ As the week progressed, he had grown accustom to the hectic schedule and had learned how to pace himself so he wouldn’t be too exhausted by the end of each day.

The start of the second week had arrived and he was finally comfortable with his role. Sunday may be a day of rest for some people, but Killian’s day promised anything but. The pool was going to be open (much to the enthusiasm of the campers, Henry in particular) and their cabin had scheduled time to have the pool all to themselves.

Killian rolled over in his bed, not wanting to open his eyes just yet. He reveled in the peace and quiet of the cabin, the morning sun just barely peeking through the blinds. He chanced a glance at his alarm clock and shot straight up in bed. The red numbers glaring back at him declared it was 8:15 and he had overslept his alarm by a full 45 minutes.

Not only that, but the cabin was completely empty. Obviously, breakfast was starting, but he still couldn’t figure out why Will hadn’t woke him. He pushed the thought from his mind though and hurriedly brushed his teeth and threw on the first clean clothes he could get his hands on. He was in the middle of pulling on his sandals when he stumbled out the front door and the next thing he knew he was laying on the ground and staring at the sky.

Laughter erupted around him and suddenly Will along with the rest of the boys were standing above him, all with huge grins on their faces.

“Wha-?” he stared utterly perplexed between each of their faces, taking Will’s offered hand and allowing himself to be pulled to his feet.

Will slapped him on the back a few times, still chuckling. “It was all their idea, I swear. I just went along with it,” he insisted. “You should see your face right now though.”

“I’m still not entirely sure what just happened,” Killian said, rubbing at a sore spot where his shoulder had met the ground.

“The boys all got ready while I turned off your alarm and set the clock forward a bit. You tripping over the step was just a bonus,” Will joked.

“You got them all ready on your own?” Killian asked in disbelief.

“Yep.”

“Without me waking up?”

“They were very dedicated.”

“But I would have heard the showers or something.”

“Ah, pool’s open, no one is showering today. Plus it’s camp! Ryan over there hasn’t showered since Tuesday,” Will pointed to one of their campers who was beaming as if Will had given him some great honor.

Killian looked around the circle at each beaming face before his eyes landed on Henry and he felt any lingering frustration drain out of him. The boy was looking thoroughly pleased with himself, his eyes dancing with barely contained laughter. If Killian had to deal with a harmless prank now and then to make their campers smile like that, he would endure it gladly.

He shook his head and finally cracked a smile and started to laugh, which caused the boys to start laughing once again. “Well does this mean I at least have time to go back and get ready?” Killian asked Will.

“Not unless you want to be late for breakfast. And it’s chocolate chip pancake day, so trust me you do not want to be late,” Will said, turning towards the path to lead the boys to the dining hall. The boys fell into step behind him, the thought of food moving to the forefront of their minds. Henry hung back, choosing to bring up the rear with Killian.

“Honestly Killian, you should have seen your face. I feel kind of bad that you fell, but it was kind of funny,” he said, grinning eagerly up at his counselor.

“It’s nothing I can’t handle, Henry,” Killian assured. “I am curious though as to how much of this was your idea? I’m not mad, I just want to know how much credit to give you,” he asked.

“It was Will’s idea to prank you. He said it would be a way to fully initiate you into the camp since it’s your first year. The part with your alarm was my idea though,” Henry said, and the smile he wore was one that Killian would have given anything to keep on his face.

“I suppose I can overlook this show of insubordination,” Killian joked, “just so long as you help me get revenge on or dear Mr. Scarlet up there. Sound like something you can do?”

Henry’s smile became mischievous, and it was all the answer Killian needed.

*****

It was a universally known fact at Camp Misthaven that Granny made the best chocolate chip pancakes. It was an equally known fact that if you didn’t eat as many as you could, someone else would eat them for you

Which is why Emma had piled five on her plate. She sat down next to Belle around the same time that Henry’s cabin walked into the dining hall, with Killian bringing up the rear. By the look of it, he had just woken up and gotten ready as quickly as possible. If his hair sticking up in every direction wasn’t an indication, the fact that he was wearing red basketball shorts and a red t-shirt certainly gave it away.

As Will passed their table to say a quick hello to Belle, Emma caught his attention. “What’s with Killian’s clothes today?” she asked, nodding to the table where Killian was attempting to corral twenty boys into their seats.

The way Will grinned at her, she knew he was dying to comment on her noticing Killian, but he smartly decided against it “You can thank the boys for that. We turned off his alarm and all left the cabin so he would think he was late. He got ready in about five minutes,” he smiled looking incredibly pleased with himself.

“Will Scarlet, you are going to get those boys into so much trouble, I know it,” Belle said, shaking her head at her boyfriend but smiling at him with adoration

“Only a little bit, and nothing that can’t be fixed,” he assured. “Oh Emma, Henry wanted to talk to you about when he can see you at the pool.”

Emma stood up immediately, making sure to take her plate of pancakes with her. She had three left and there was no way she was leaving them unguarded. She ruffled Henry’s hair as she came up behind him. “Hey kid, Will said you wanted to see me.”

“I always want to see you Emma,” he said, beaming up at her. It was said so casually that Emma almost missed the gravity of what he had said. He said it like it was so obvious, that of course he would want to spend time with her, but it meant the world to her. “We have mini golf after breakfast, you should come see us. And obviously pool time but I know you wouldn’t forget that,” he insisted.

“We’ll see about mini golf but I’ll definitely be at the pool. 2 o'clock sharp,” she confirmed, and Henry nodded. She said a quick goodbye to him (and pretended not to notice when he stole one of her pancakes).

On her way back to the table, she brushed past Killian who was carrying his own plate of pancakes and she couldn’t resist making some kind of comment about his ridiculous state of dress. “Jones, red may look good on you but don’t you think you’re overdoing it just a little?”

“Careful, Swan, I think I heard a compliment in there somewhere. In any case it got your attention so I guess I can’t complain too much,” he smiled, causing the corners of his eyes to crinkle. The sincere look in his eyes only reminded her of why she had been avoiding him for the past week. He made her feel like she could lower her guard and be safe around him but she couldn’t open herself up only to be left alone again. Logically she knew she couldn’t avoid him forever, simply because he was Henry’s counselor, but that didn’t mean that she couldn’t put as much emotional distance between the two of them as possible.

She gave Killian a curt nod and turned to go back to her seat, ignoring the pain in her chest when his face fell a little at the abrupt change that had come over her. “I’ll see you later Jones,” she called over her shoulder, trying to assuage her guilt just a little.

*****

The mini golf course wasn’t anything impressive. It was tucked away in a corner of the camp and heavily shaded early in the morning. The turf on the courses was old, worn thin and wrinkled in some places but the campers didn’t seem to mind too much.

When Emma arrived, half of the boys were on the course with Will, not bothering to follow the traditional rules of the game. The other half, including Henry, were with Killian. They were gathered around an old sheet laid out on the ground that they were using to make a cabin flag with some of the old paint from the arts and crafts building. Killian was kneeling with his back to her as she approached.

“What are you boys doing?” she asked casually. She hadn’t spoken loudly or really all that suddenly, but Killian startled nonetheless.

“Ah, Swan. I didn’t hear you there. To what do we owe the pleasure?” he asked, trying and failing to seem casual.

She responded by rolling her eyes and crossing her arms. “Don’t worry you’re not in trouble yet. I’m here for Henry, he asked me to come.”

His smile was nervous, and he reached to scratch behind his ear. “And here I thought you were missing my company,” he said. He made as if to stand up, but in doing so didn’t pay attention to the bucket of paint one of his campers had put directly next to him. His hand knocked against the edge of it and fell directly towards him, covering his right leg in green paint.

The laughter of Killian’s group drew the attention of Will’s and soon everyone was laughing. Killian took it well, but Emma could tell from the way he stood up with his shoulders slightly hunched and scratched behind his ear that he was embarrassed at the accident. He met her eyes and she smiled at him.

“Red and green, Jones? You do know Christmas is a few months away, right?” she said, stepping closer to him. His eyes widened at the fact that she had decreased the amount of space between them. “The office is just over there. You can wash some of that off real quick,” she said quietly.

“You know technically this is slightly your fault, Swan,” he teased, flicking paint in her direction. The smirk on his face said he was merely flirting with her like he normally did, but his eyes conveyed how much he appreciated her offer. Before she could come up with any clever comeback, he had stepped away from her and was walking toward the office.

With Killian gone, Emma returned her attention to the campers, admiring the cabin flag they had made and helping them lay it on one of the picnic tables nearby to let it dry while they joined the rest of their cabin at mini golf. She was in the middle of showing Henry how to line up his shot when Killian returned, the majority of the paint gone from his leg.

“You don’t want to play, Swan?” Killian called as he took one of the weathered green putters from the shed near one of the trees. “Are you afraid you would lose?” he goaded.

Emma rolled her eyes. “Please, I’ve been playing this course for over a decade. I’m sparing you the humiliation of losing, trust me.”

He hummed, a mischievous glint in his eye. “Care to put that to the test? I do love a challenge,” he asked, casually leaning against the putter. Evidently he was feeling confident again and had resumed his favorite pastime; poking her buttons.

Emma stared back at him, contemplating her options. She knew accepting his challenge was exactly what he wanted, but she wasn’t one to back down either. If anything she would win and be able to hold it over his head for the rest of the summer. That thought spurred her on, and she walked to his side, staring him down.

“Fine, but only because you’re so desperate to lose,” she said, stepping closer to him. His eyes flashed with surprise and she knew he hadn’t actually been expecting her to accept his challenge. “But I think there should be some consequences for the loser, don’t you?” she asked. He simply raised his eyebrow at her indicating that he would wait for her to lay out her terms. “We play three rounds around the whole course. The winner is the one that wins two of those rounds. Loser has to go down the water slide wearing sweatpants and a sweatshirt.”

He let out a quiet laugh, tilting his head as if he was examining her closer. “Socks and tennis shoes as well. You seem like the type of person that hates wet socks,” he answered.

“You’re on,” she said, grabbing one of the putters from the shed.

“Ladies first,” he said, bowing to her and stepping aside so she could line up her shot. It went straight into the hole and she turned back, throwing a confident smirk in his direction.

“Top that, Jones,” she said confidently. Perhaps it was childish, but she really, really wanted to knock him down a few pegs.

Killian simply smiled before quietly stepping up to take his turn. He took an exceedingly long time to finally take his shot, making sure to add in a couple practice swings just to get on her nerves. When he finally made his shot, the ball went directly in the hole just like hers.

When she looked up at him, Killian looked incredibly proud of himself. “Looks like this is going to be an interesting game, Swan,” he quipped.

“Beginner’s luck,” she grumbled, although she was secretly agreeing with him.

*****

June in southern Missouri is hot enough without any additional layers, and the discomfort is enough to make Killian almost eager to make his trip down the slide. His game with Emma had gone all the way to the last hole of the final round when he lost by one point. He had begged a redo, arguing that Henry’s cough had come at a poor time and had caused a distraction. Emma didn’t buy it, the same way Killian didn’t buy that the cough was in any way accidental.

A flash of gold caught his eye as he walked through the entrance to the pool, and his attention immediately turned to Emma. Unsurprisingly, she was talking to Henry who was bouncing on the balls of his feet as she smeared sunscreen on the back of his neck. Her hair was in a bun on the top of her head and she wore a red one piece suit with black running shorts. Honestly he had never seen anyone more beautiful.

As if she had felt him watching her, she looked up and locked eyes with him instantly. A wide grin spread across her face upon seeing him and he wished it was because she was glad to see him, not just the way he was dressed. Getting Emma Swan to smile was a feat in and of itself, but the unbridled glee he saw in her eyes only made her all the more beautiful.

“I bet you can’t wait to get in the pool, considering how hot it is,” she called to him.

“Don’t mock, Swan. I’m still demanding a rematch later,” he challenged. “That cough was insubordination and I know it. Two times in one day I’ve been on the receiving end of Henry’s schemes,” he added, nodding at him.

“It’s not my fault you challenged Emma,” Henry cut in. “Even I know not to do that.”

“I’m actually beginning to learn that for myself,” Killian said softly, glancing up at Emma. Her eyes widened for a second before her face relaxed back into indifference. The only indication his words had affected her was the faint blush that had risen on her cheeks.

Henry tugged on Emma’s elbow, pulling her toward the slide. “Emma let’s go!” he exclaimed, and Emma didn’t need any further prompting and followed along behind Henry. She was on her way up the hill when he noticed she hadn’t removed her sandals.

“You’re not going to take your shoes off, Swan?” he called after her.

“And risk messing up my tan lines? Not a chance, Jones!” she called over her shoulder.

He laughed, shaking his head at her remark about those ridiculous tan lines. Everyone was now sporting them on their feet and there was also a strange sense of pride that came with them. Henry called his name to get his attention from the top of the water slide and Killian raised his hand in acknowledgement. Emma linked her arm through Henry’s and together they inched forward, bracing themselves for the ride.

Henry’s enthusiastic shout echoed around the pool along with Emma’s girlish squeal. As they landed in the water. She may act like going down the slide is solely for Henry’s benefit, but Killian knew she enjoyed it just as much as he did. Reluctantly, he started his trek up the hill. The sooner he got it over with, the sooner he could take off his heavy clothes.

The slide itself wasn’t daunting at all, but the way Emma and Henry were hovering at the bottom and staring up at him in anticipation certainly was. He took a couple steps back before running forward and jumping onto the slide and riding it down.

The water was delightfully cold and every bit the welcome relief he had expected it would be. When he surfaced, he swam to where Emma and Henry were obviously waiting for him.

“Are you satisfied, Swan?” he asked, shaking the water from his hair in Henry’s direction, much to the boy’s amusement

“You have completed your punishment. Don’t go down the slide like that though, it’s against the rules and you’re going to set a bad example,” she scolded lightly.

Killian glanced at Henry, who rolled his eyes when Emma wasn’t looking. “Killian, wanna go to the deep end with me?” he asked enthusiastically.

“Let me just change and I’ll meet you there,” Killian assured, swimming toward the edge.

Emma followed him. “I admit I half expected you to be wearing all red again,” she said, motioning to the black sweatpants and blue sweatshirt he was wearing.

He was never going to live down his unfortunate matching situation, at least not with her anyway. He shook his head, smiling at her joke and unthinkingly reached out a hand to help her up the steps out of the pool. “It looks much better on you anyway, Swan,” he said as she made the final step and suddenly they were standing face to face, a little closer than normal. A stray bit of her hair had escaped her bun and he reflexively reached out to tuck it behind her ear with the hand that wasn’t still holding hers. Emma inhaled sharply, her back straightening as she once again stepped away from him and his hand fell back to his side.

“Apologies, Swan. I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable,” he muttered. He dropped her hand and felt the loss of contact instantly. Her face was a mask of indifference but he saw her clench her hand, the one he had been holding moments ago, and a brief flicker of hope warmed his chest.

“Henry’s waiting for you. Quit flirting with me and go catch up with him,” she said sternly. She didn’t give him a chance to answer before she turned on her heel and hurried away.

Silently cursing himself, Killian retrieved his backpack so he could change. He felt a strange magnetism between them that was saying there was something, some kind of connection between them and he was confident she felt it too. But she was cautious and guarded and he had pushed her anyway. Taking a step back was the best route with her. Give her space and time and hopefully she would come around eventually.

Killian sighed, his hand on the door handle to the bathroom and pinching the bridge of his nose. It was definitely going to be a long summer, and Emma Swan would most assuredly be the death of him.


	4. Campfires and Constellations

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So uhh, the only reason this is getting posted so soon is because I had like three quarters of it done already when I posted the first three chapters. It'll definitely be a longer wait between now and the next one. Sorry.

Emma was distracted the rest of the afternoon after her conversation with Killian. She could still feel the tingle from where he had held her hand, could still feel the heat that had shot up her arm when he had absentmindedly ran his thumb across the back of it. It was disconcerting how much he affected her, and even more so was the fact that the harder she tried to resist the pull she felt toward him, the stronger it became.

The night following the Pool Incident, Ruby pounced.

“What happened with you and Killian at the pool?” she practically yelled, ignoring Mary Margaret when she shushed her. They three of them, along with Belle, were sitting on the back porch after getting the campers settled into bed. The pool finally being open had tired all of them out and they had gotten to sleep earlier than normal. 

“Who says anything happened?” Emma deflected. 

“Will saw you and Killian talking, twice might I add, and he said ever since pool time he’s been sulking and also looking very guilty ever since,” she said. 

Emma felt an unwanted pang of regret in her chest. He was sulking? She knew she shouldn’t care, because so what if he felt guilty about flirting with her instead of finding Henry? He should feel guilty. Still, a small part of her suspected there was more to it than that. Plus, despite everything, she didn’t want to imagine the look on his face if he was truly sulking. It probably resembled a kicked puppy and that wasn’t something she wanted to see. 

“Who says I had anything to do with Jones being in a bad mood?” she asked, the defensive tone ringing loud and clear. Unfortunately, Ruby caught it. 

“Well for one, you just all but admitted it,” she said, a knowing grin spreading across her face. Emma glanced around the circle at Mary Margaret and Belle and knew she would be getting no help from them. Emma groaned, looking up at the sky as if she would gain any sympathy from the stars or any kind of deity out there. Not that it was likely, considering she had never received any help from them at any other time in her life. 

“Okay fine. After he went down the slide, he was flirting with me and getting all complimentary and standing really close and I backed up and told him to go find Henry because he was waiting for him,” she explained, condensing the story as much as possible. She knew she was being overly defensive, but she didn’t particularly care. 

Belle cleared her throat, drawing everyone’s eyes to her. “Will said something about Killian holding your hand?” she said, phrasing it as a question to make it clear that Emma wasn’t going to get out of explaining that part. 

“It was a reflex. He offered his hand when I was walking up the steps out of the pool and he just… didn’t let go immediately,” Emma said meekly, drawing her knees up into her chest. She had always hated being the center of attention, and the four of them surrounding her and asking for explanations she didn’t really want to give was making her so uncomfortable she was almost hoping a hole would open up in the deck beneath her and swallow her. 

“It sounds to me like he was being a gentleman by offering to help. He really is great about that kind of thing,” Mary Margaret said softly. 

“Sometimes people fool you. Not everyone is as wonderful as they first seem,” Emma said, glaring at the wood of the deck as memories flashed through her head. Memories of soft brown eyes and an easy laugh, memories of quiet summer nights under the stars talking about everything and nothing and feeling like she belonged. 

She didn’t look up, but she could practically feel the silent conversation going on between the three other women. Belle and Ruby quietly stood up and went inside, murmuring their goodnights and shutting the door softly behind them. 

Mary Margaret shuffled closer to Emma and silently put her arm around her and Emma leaned into the embrace, resting her head on her friend’s shoulder. Emma wasn’t normally the type of person that allowed people to comfort her, but Mary Margaret was one of the people she made an exception for. 

“He’s not Neal you know. Not everyone is going to leave you,” Mary Margaret said softly, gently running her hand up and down Emma’s arm. 

“I know not everyone leaves. You and David haven’t,” Emma sighed, lifting her head but allowing Mary Margaret’s arm to stay around her. 

“That’s not what I meant, Emma, you know that. Those walls you put up may keep out pain, but I worry they may also keep out love,” Mary Margaret said, rubbing her hand up and down Emma’s arm to comfort her.

She was trying to be encouraging and supportive, but to Emma it felt like she was being pushed, so she did what she always did when that happened. She shut down. 

“Not everyone has had it as easy as you. Not everyone can be so perky and happy and optimistic all the time. Someone has to be realistic and realize the world is cruel and life isn’t fair,” Emma huffed as she stood. 

Mary Margaret was on her feet right behind her. “You forget I’ve been here for almost as long as you, Emma. I know you, and if anyone deserves to be happy, it’s you. I was only trying to suggest that if Killian makes you happy you shouldn’t push him away.”

“I don’t need a man to make me happy, Mary Margaret. I’ve been down that road before, I know where it ends, and I’m not doing it again,” she said, her tone final. Mary Margaret opened her mouth to respond, but Emma stepped around her and walked back into the cabin, effectively ending the conversation.

*****

Emma hadn’t said anything meaningful to him in the three days since the pool incident. Killian had tried not to let it bother him too much, but he could only handle so many icy glances and rushed conversations between her and Henry where she studiously avoided looking anywhere in his direction. He would give just about anything to go back to the casual banter they had shared before he had gone and messed everything up by getting too close. He had pushed too much and too soon, and she had retreated farther into herself.

It was late Thursday afternoon and he and Will were in the process of getting their campers rounded up for an overnight trip to one of the campsites in the woods. Robin, one of the members of the Adventure Team, was coming to pick them up and they would ride in a trailer out to the campsite and he would spend the night there with them. Most of the campers were ecstatic to get the chance to sleep outside, others not so much. Killian himself tended to agree with the former. Nothing quite compared to a clear night with no clouds or city lights to obscure the stars. It reminded him of happier times, of nights his father would take him and Liam out to the cliffside near their home and tell them stories of the constellations. After his father left, Liam had taught him how to navigate by using them. He was probably just a poor sentimental bastard, but he had always felt closer to his brother when he was looking at them. 

“Killian are you excited for s’mores?” Henry asked as Killian rolled his sleeping bag for him and secured it with the elastic straps. 

“Aye. I’m also excited for real eggs tomorrow morning at breakfast,” he said, handing the bag to the boy. 

Henry’s brow furrowed. “There’s such a thing as fake eggs? And we have them at camp?”

Killian was momentarily stunned that the boy hadn’t noticed that the eggs they were served almost daily were clearly from a powder, but before he got a chance to explain, Will’s loud voice called out to the group.

“All right you lot, Robin is here with the trailer. Time to load up.”

*****

The ride to the boys campsite was bumpy, and Killian was grateful that Will had opted to ride in the trailer with their campers which allowed Killian to ride in the cab of the truck with Robin. Will said it was to make sure none of the boys jumped out of the trailer as a joke, but Killian thought if anyone was going to jump out of the trailer it would be Will himself.

The first few hours at the campsite was a flurry of activity, with the boys setting up their sleeping bags and pillows in the tent and then herding all of them to the girls campsite nearby to eat dinner with them. It was Emma’s cabin, and Killian caught Ruby and Belle staring at him too much for it to be entirely coincidental, especially when they would quickly look away and put their heads together in conversation with Anna, the girl from Adventure Team that had accompanied their cabin. 

Back at their own campsite after dinner, Killian was sitting next to the fire watching as Robin added more kindling to it to ready it for the boys to make s’mores. Henry plopped down next to him, pulling his attention to the flames. “I love it when we get to go camping. I mean I know we’re already at camp, but being outside makes it so much more real. I don’t know about the other kids, but camping trips aren’t something we get a lot of.”

Killian felt a wave of melancholy washed over him. He may not have had much growing up, but he’d always had Liam, always knew someone valued him. Henry never had that. Killian wrapped his arm around the boy’s shoulders. “I’m glad you boys are all here for my first camping night. It’s been a few years since I’ve been on one.”

“Who did you go with? When you went camping?” Henry asked.

The feeling of melancholy gave way to the familiar ache he always felt when speaking about Liam. “My brother always went with me. He was quite a bit older, so he thought he knew everything of course. Although, he did teach me constellations and how to navigate with the stars,” Killian said.

“Will you teach me?” Henry asked, his eyes wide and hopeful. It was moments like this that made this whole experience worth it for Killian. When one of the boys needed help with something, or when he got to sit down and have a real conversation with one of them. When he got to be someone they could look up to, someone to look out for them, someone he and Liam didn’t have for themselves when they were growing up. 

“Alright boys, grab a marshmallow and come make your s’mores,” Robin called, and all the rest of the campers converged on the fire, the promise of sugar

“Go get us some s’mores first and I’ll show you while you eat,” Killian said to Henry, nudging the boy with his shoulder. Henry instantly jumped up and before long returned with a treat in each hand dripping marshmallow and chocolate on his fingers. He handed one off to Killian and settled next to him again and Killian started pointing out stars and the shapes they formed. Henry listened with rapt attention, occasionally leaning over Killian’s shoulder to see exactly where he was pointing in the night sky. 

It was getting late and the fire had started to die down when a shiver from Henry prompted Killian to stand and add another log to the fire. 

“I see you forgot the ‘no-s’mores-without-Emma’ rule,” a voice called out. The log Killian had been holding slipped from his grasp and landed on the fire, causing him to lose his balance and embers to shoot up in his face.

He turned to see Emma barely holding back a smile at his lack of coordination. “You doing okay there, Jones?” she asked lightly.

“Despite your valiant attempt at making me set myself on fire, I am quite well Swan,” he said, brushing his hands on his shorts and trying to look nonchalant. It wasn’t easy, considering this was the first time Emma had spoken directly to him in days. Her hair was down and falling around her shoulders and he almost reached out to tuck a strand behind her ear like he had done before. He fought the impulse, shoving his hands in his pockets for good measure. 

“There’s still marshmallows if you want to make one,” Robin called from nearby where he was setting up his hammock between two trees. 

Emma shrugged. “I ate three when I was at the girl’s campsite. It’s why it took me forever to get over here to check on you guys.”

“So this isn’t just a visit because you wanted to see anyone in particular?” Killian asked, smirking in her direction. 

Emma scoffed. “Someone is awfully full of himself.”

“You do have a penchant for making sure I don’t harm myself. I can’t imagine all that paperwork for you if I had gotten some sort of injury like a splinter or third degree burn. In any case, I was referring to our young friend Henry,” he finished with a smile, stepping aside so she could see the boy smiling expectantly up at her. She moved around him, not sparing him a second glance. 

“Hey kid, what are you still doing up?” she asked him, sitting in the spot Killian had just been occupying. 

“Killian was showing me constellations. He says that maybe he later he can show me how to use the stars to find my way around without a map,” Henry said. 

“That sounds complicated.”

“I still want to try. Killian said it took him a while to figure it out when his brother taught him, but he got it eventually,” Henry said. He tried to fight back a yawn, but Emma saw it anyway.

“It might be easier to learn when you’re not exhausted. It’s past lights out anyway, you should try to get some sleep. You guys still have activities tomorrow you don’t want to miss out on,” Emma suggested. 

Henry nodded. “‘Night Emma,” he said through another yawn, leaning over to give her a quick hug before shuffling off to the tent where most of the boys were already asleep. 

Emma was still sitting on the log watching Henry leave and Killian seized the opportunity to try to have a real conversation with her again. “I was just about to send him to bed. I just had one more very important constellation to show him,” Killian said, sitting next to her. Emma shifted just a tiny bit away from him and it took all his restraint to not reach out and pull her back to where she was. 

“Really. And what constellation is so important that you let a ten year old stay up past lights out?” Emma asked skeptically. 

“It’s there, right in the middle of the sky,” Killian said, pointing up. Emma leaned ever so slightly closer to him and he took it as a small victory. “Cygnus, the swan. There’s the wings, and the body, and the tail,” he said, gesturing to each part. 

He turned back to Emma only to find her much closer than he expected, so close that his nose almost brushed hers when he moved. Her eyes widened as she realized how close she had moved while he was talking. He felt his heart rate pick up, felt it hammering within his chest and he was positive she could hear it. She didn’t jump backwards like he had expected, but he was close enough he could see her put up a wall between them just by the shift he saw in her eyes.

“And why is Cygnus so important? Or are you just saying that because my last name is Swan?” she said.

“Now who’s full of herself?” Killian grinned. “No, it’s because within Cygnus is the Northern Cross, which can be used to help navigate,” he said. Emma’s cheeks turned just the slightest bit pink and she looked down at her hands. She was shifting her weight, clearly looking for an opportunity to run. “Sadly I can’t even tell you a good story about the constellation since it’s just your regular old tale about Zeus not being able to keep it in his pants and seducing a mortal woman while he was in the shape of a swan.”

Emma snorted. “Classic Zeus. That’s not really all that romantic.”

“Are you saying you want there to be a romantic story behind Cygnus?” he raised an eyebrow questioningly. 

“Are you saying if there was one you would tell it to me?”

“If you wanted me to.” Emma inhaled sharply, and Killian knew she was getting ready to run. He drew back “It’s getting late, and I’m sure you’d rather be asleep than listening to me talk,” he said, unable to fight the impulse to scratch behind his ear. 

Emma didn’t say anything for a few moments, merely staring at him as if he was some puzzle she needed couldn’t quite figure out. “Maybe. Maybe not,” she said simply before standing up to leave before he could open his mouth to respond. She called a goodbye to Robin and Will over her shoulder as she disappeared behind a curve in the trail. 

Will settled next to Killian, taking Emma’s spot. Much as Killian enjoyed Will’s company, he definitely preferred the previous occupant. 

“So,” Will drawled, “when are you going to tell me what’s going on with you and Emma?” he asked.

There was no way he was going to tell them about how his heart had picked up when they were sitting close earlier, that he wanted to weave his fingers through her hair when it hung in loose curls down her back and see if it was as soft as it looked, that if he could wish for anything he would want to see her look at him with a true, genuine, open smile at something he had said. No, best to keep all that to himself. “There’s nothing going on,” Killian grumbled and ripped a piece of bark from the log he was sitting on. 

“Neither of us believes that,” Robin said. “We do have eyes, we did just see the way you two were talking just now. There’s something.” Killian started tearing the piece of bark into little tiny pieces. 

“She barely even acknowledged me the whole time she was here, she was so wrapped up in talking to you,” Will added. 

Killian sighed. “Fine. Maybe I want there to be something, but even if I did it doesn’t matter. Any time I feel like I’m getting close she puts up this wall and I have to start all over,” he said, tossing the shredded bark into the fire and tearing off another piece.

“I can’t say I blame her, with what she’s been through,” Will said. Killian threw him a questioning look while Robin was silently telling him to be quiet. Will looked between the two of them before turning to Killian. “All I know is what little Belle has told me. I wasn’t here when whatever it was happened, and it’s kind of an unspoken rule that no one talks about it, but from what I’ve gathered someone left her when she needed them a lot and she hasn’t been the same since. It’s why she doesn’t date other staffers.”

Killian nodded, looking back at the fire. Will and Robin moved to go to bed, leaving him alone to think over what Will had told him. 

She had been abandoned. He had known it from the first time he looked in her eyes, recognized it because he had seen the same look countless times before when he looked in a mirror. It was why he had felt so drawn to her since they first met. If someone she had cared for had left her, it would explain why she was hesitant to get close to anyone new. He knew better than some what it felt like to have someone you were in love with walk away. He pushed away the memories of his time with Milah and ignored the prickling of the tattoo on the inside of his arm. Instead he focused on the surge of anger that rose in his chest toward whoever had abandoned her and hurt her so much that she was so closed off. How anyone could leave a woman as beautiful and vibrant and compassionate as her was beyond him. He was drawn to Emma Swan in a way he couldn’t describe and he would do anything to be a part of her life, in whatever capacity she wished. 

He just needed to prove to her that he could be trusted first.


End file.
